self-indulgent musings on fashion, food and other sundries

Archive for August, 2010

My first encounter with Emilio de la Morena’s designs was when I saw a picture of Leighton Meester at last year’s VMA Awards. Her dress reminded me of one of my all-time favorite movie characters– Leeloo from The Fifth Element, who spent 2 hours running around in an amazing creation designed by none other than Jean Paul Gaultier. White bandages never looked so chic and strategically placed– until they were dyed black and mixed with delicate chiffon by a man named Emilio de la Morena.

Since then, I have obsessively stalked photos of his collections, and I am really loving what I see. Emilio de la Morena is a Spanish designer who was originally a sculptor, which explains the intriguing shapes and architectural qualities to his designs. They’re edgy, bold and futuristic, and in many cases (though not all) he steers clear of costume territory through a brilliant use of soft layering for a very smartly-sexy look. I’m crazy for his mix of details – intricate origami pleats, sculpted ruffles, twisted bodices framed by broad, simple panels of fabric – it’s an incredibly sane expression of crazy.

In the spirit of preserving the remainder of the season, I’d like to tell you about a sexy little summer pie I had back in June that made me want to kick off my platform boots, vacuum pack my sweaters, grab my Ray-Bans and slither into a bikini, New York Times tucked under arm. The key lime pie from Billy’s Bakery is an edible sliver of sunshine that makes me wonder why I ever overlook citrus based desserts.

The custard is a gleaming shade of butter-blond, adorned with a punchy green slice of lime. It has a satiny mouth feel that coats your tongue with a tart bite and melts into a smooth finish. I like to start by gliding a fork straight down the tip of the pie, leaving a slick track that leads straight to the cookie crust. This is not your traditional graham cracker crust – it’s made with peppery gingersnaps that give the pie an attitude more akin to Alexader Wang than Ralph Lauren. It starts out firm and then crumbles into a sweet, spicy sand in your mouth.

And after that, it’s really all just cookie sand, lime silk and eventually, an empty box. Get it while you can – as you may have guessed, it’s a seasonal item.

It’s August now, and so palpably not July. It’s not quite the end of summer, but I wistfully sense the dwindling of those carefree, floaty, distinctly-summer celebrations. The big music festivals are over, Hamptons share houses are down to their last few weekends, and drinking wine out of colored plastic cups in Central Park is starting to feel like an endangered pastime… no longer are we safely cushioned between two seasons. Okay, maybe it’s a bit early to be feeling nostalgic, but I tend to get ahead of myself. My old boss would call it “managing expectations.”

Suitably, on this lovely second day of August, I am feeling a blend of late-summer-lazy and crisp-autumn-academia: